Prepare the Way

Luke 3:1-6

It’s clear to me that Luke really, really wants us to pay attention to what’s about to happen. The first three chapters of the Gospel begin with what I can only call “teaser trailers” for the impending drama about to unfold in the birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. Luke wants the theater riveted—eyes glued to the screen; this is the story of God’s salvation, no one should miss out on seeing it!

“Expect the unexpected: God is still at work in the world! From the same God who brought life into Abraham and Sarah’s bareness and a son to Zechariah and Elizabeth in their old age comes a new installment in the story of life in unexpected places! A child is coming who has been heralded by the angels as, ‘A savior; the Messiah and Lord!’ Prepare yourselves to experience Jesus Christ!”

The theater darkens and Luke sets the scene in which this drama will play out: the Roman empire, the regions of Judea and Galilee, the temple in Jerusalem. Luke is preparing us, says Fred Craddock, “anticipating Acts and the political and religious arenas in which the gospel will make its way.”[1] You can almost see the camera shot: a bird’s eye view flying over massive cities and palaces and temples. Cut to the middle of the wilderness. There is John, the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth. He is baptizing crowds of men and women is the Jordan River as the voice of Isaiah rings out: “Prepare the way of the Lord!”

What a powerful opening sequence! What I’d like to do this morning is reread this opening scene by the light of the “Peace candle” to see if this helps illuminate the story of God’s salvation.

This morning, we lit the candle of peace after listening to a reading from the prophet Isaiah which spoke of the power of God to change the very nature of things. This is the power present in salvation: the power to change human nature, which we experience through God’s forgiveness of our sins. When angels announce “the birth of a savior” to shepherds in the field, Luke is introducing Jesus as the incarnation of salvation: this transforming love of God embodied in human form.

What does this have to do with peace? Well, speaking from personal experience, human nature is not always peaceful: I worry, I suffer, I fear, I feel, I fight, I hurt. Speaking from the biblical perspective, human nature is wounded. The prophet Jeremiah proclaims God’s lament for the way in which we treat this wound: “They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. ‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace….This is what the Lord says,” continues Jeremiah, “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.”

This “good way,” which leads to rest and peace, is the “way” for which Isaiah wants us to prepare. This is the way of the Lord, through which the very nature of things is transformed, including the nature of our wounds. Healing changes the nature of a wound. God calls to us, through these prophets, to a way of life addresses and heals the wounds dealt to human nature through sin.

Luke says that John’s baptizing ministry, calling people to change their hearts and minds as a sign of their desire to be healed, is a fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy to “prepare the way of the Lord.” A “preparation” that requires us to address the mountains and valleys, twists and turns, potholes and ditches that obstruct the “good way.” This is the lesson God seems to want to teach us about peace through Jeremiah, Isaiah, Luke, and ultimately Jesus: peace is the healing that comes from addressing our wounds, not from avoiding them.

Have you ever dislocated a joint? Or have you ever broken a bone so badly that it had to be reset before it could heal? Or have you ever had to clean out a wound before you bandaged it up? If so, you know that addressing wounds isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts even more than allowing the wound to fester, untreated. The same is true for sin, the wounds of human nature. In asking us to “prepare the way of the Lord,” we are not being asked to do something that will be easy or painless. God knows we can do it, though. Because God has done it, in Jesus Christ. Do you think the cross was easy or painless?

The cross marks the crossroads at which we are given the opportunity to have our nature transformed and pursue a new path, a place where we can change our hearts and minds and ask God to address the wounds of our sin: our pain, fear, anger, and doubt.

I love Martin Luther King, Jr.’s description of peace, the words I used to invite us to address the wounds of our sin this morning in the call to confession: “Peace is not the absence of some negative force—tension, confusion, war—but it is the presence of some positive force—justice, goodwill, the power of the kingdom of God.” King knew that peace requires a willingness to work.

Christmas tells the story of God’s willingness to work for the healing of humankind. It is the story which insists “The power of God is NOT absent, God is present, God is with us, the Kingdom of Peace is at hand.” It is a story that demands our attention, because it demands us to be present, too. Maybe that’s why Luke works so hard to capture your attention at the beginning: Luke wants the theater riveted—eyes glued to the screen; he wants you to be paying attention when your name appears on the screen, he wants you to realize that you aren’t a passive audience member watching the story of God’s salvation unfold, you are an actor with a role to play! Peace and rest are at the end of the path we are called to walk. Prepare the way of the Lord! Amen.

[1] Craddock, Fred B. “Luke” from Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. 1990, John Knox Press. Louisville, KY. P 47.